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No more after-hours emergency power restoration

02 Dec 2021

  • CEB engineers escalate TU action against New Fortress deal
BY Pamodi Waravita The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) said yesterday (1) that they would escalate their ongoing work-to-rule trade union (TU) action against the Yugadanavi deal from today (2), where they will not address emergency power restoration activities which fall outside their eight hours of work. “We were on a work-to-rule trade union action as we wanted our demands about this illegal New Fortress Energy Inc. deal met. However, we still attended to emergencies. But, we are now forced to not attend to emergency power restoration activities which fall after 4.15 p.m. This is for the future of the country,” CEBEU President Eng. Saumya Kumarawadu claimed at a press conference held yesterday. He added that he hopes that the public will understand the necessity of this escalated trade union action and that the public will stand by them. However, he said that engineers who work on a shift basis will continue their work as usual. “Don’t push us to take further action,” he warned. In a press release issued in September 2021, New Fortress Energy Inc. said that it would acquire 40% of the shares of the 310 megawatts (MW) Yugadanavi Power Plant in Colombo and that as part of the agreement, it would also provide about 1.2 million gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Government per day through a LNG terminal which will be built off the shores of Colombo. The CEBEU’s demands are that the CEB not proceed with what it calls the improper and illegal New Fortress Energy Inc. LNG deal, and that the CEB prevent the politicisation of the post of the CEB General Manager and stop the abrupt transfers of CEB senior management personnel. “Earlier, the CEB management attempted to transfer two of our Additional General Managers (AGMs) as they refused to work outside the rules with regard to the illegal deal with the US-based energy company, New Fortress Energy Inc. We objected to this transfer but on Tuesday (30 November), the AGMs in question were sent on mandatory leave. They have engaged in no wrongdoing. This is all because they have adhered to the law. Is that now a crime in Sri Lanka?” Kumarawadu questioned. The New Fortress Energy Inc. deal has received much criticism over the past couple of months as it has allegedly been acquired outside of the proper tender procurement process and without proper Cabinet of Ministers’ approval. CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando said recently that the content of the agreement cannot be disclosed due to a condition in the agreement and that the agreement has not even been presented to the CEB yet. On Monday (29 November), a number of areas around the island reported power outages. Ferdinando has reportedly filed a police complaint regarding this and is also conducting an investigation to determine whether the outages were a result of a deliberate act of sabotage.


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